Power tools

[alanorion]

Hi
I have a Makita 3 speed metal chucked drill with hammer. It came with two batteries and a quick charger

It charges the lithium Iron batteries in about half an hour. As it is an 18 volt drill it has more than sufficient

power. I would if buying again consider the cheaper 2 speed drill although that model has the more common

plastic chuck. I am delighted with the drill it is a fantastic tool The only drawback is the price. However I was sick of

all the previous cheap drills I had used. I would recommend any drill with a LION battery however the best I have owned

is the MAKITA

Best wishes Alan

 

[Tam Lin]

Makita brand are generally reckoned to be very good. B&Q are currently offering a Makita 18v Lithium-ion drill in soft carry case with 2 batteries for £99.99 or £89.99 if bought on a Wednesday if you have access to an over 60s Diamond Club card.

Exactly what i did about a month ago! So much better than my old cheap one, really pleased with it so far.

 

[ditchcrawler]

I bought the Makita with the 2 lithium-ion batteries from B and Q although mine has a hard case.It has been excellent so far including drilling stainless tube.

 

[oldbilbo]

....... ITYWF.......

??? WTF???

 

[Gwylan]

I want one of these...I'm not sure what it is, or what it does, but I feel it could turn even Ronnie Corbett into a terminator: http://www.hitachi-koki.com/powertools/products/demolish/h65sd2/h65sd2.html

They really ought to make a cordless version. Perfect for shifting stubborn old rivets from the masthead.

Bit extreme but there would be no doubt about getting the job done!

 

[Gwylan]

I'm fed up with the rubbish performance of the 'bargain' drill I bought in B&Q. Not their fault, I thought it was a bargain and should have known better.

Anyway, the pack was a hammer drill and screwdriver with rechargeable batteries and charger. The problem is that the batteries do not hold their charge.
So I go to do a job and find in the time since I last used them and left them charged, both batteries are flat.

The management has agreed that we should buy a decent one this time.

So suggestions and wisdom on the best brand and the best battery type to put on Santa's list.

Thanks to everyone for the constructive input - do appreciate it when the forum works like this.

So its a Lithium cell on a mid range Makita please Father Christmas.

 

[Gwylan]

??? WTF???

Had to go and look it up

Try here - http://www.allacronyms.com/

 

[maxcampbell]

The little Makita impact driver - Li batteries - outperforms any other driver I've seen - will put a 3" no10 screw into solid oak - and get it out again.

 

[Nigel-in-Oxford]

I use a mixture of DeWalt 12V and 18V tools (the angle grinder is wonderful) on board I have a 12V battery shell with a long thick cable that I can clip on to the boat's battery, never have to worry about flat batteries on the 12V ones.

 

[DanTribe]

These people sometimes have good deals.
http://www.westwardbuildingservices.com/
I got 2 Makita drills & 3 batteries on special offer 2 years ago.
Watch out though; EXC VAT

 

[chinita]

Makita every time.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

??? WTF???

ITWF = I Think You Will Find

 

[Woodlouse]

There's no reason in this day and age to go for NiCD batteries on a cordless tool. Otherwise, Makita, DeWalt, AEG, Hitachi etc are all much of a muchness in quality and performance. If you have more money than sense then Festool make very nice drills with some very nice features, such as interchangeable chucks.

 

[DanTribe]

Regarding pro quality power tools.
A carpenter friend advocated buying cheap Aldi Powercraft tools.
But when I queried the longevity, he said he bought 2, then when one wore out within the warranty he sent it back for replacement and used the other until that wore out, then used the replaced one.
Not sure how long you could keep that up.
I'm sure no one of us would try that ploy.
Actually you probably don't need to send them back. I had a sander with a dodgy switch. Just phoned and emailed a copy of the receipt and a new sander was in the post.

 

[Sailfree]

I have De Walt, Ryobi, Milwaulkee and Mikita battery power tools.

For most of us the difference between a quality/professional one and the cheaper one of any make will not matter providing it has the features you want. The most important feature is its battery and Li Ion ones are vastly superior to Ni Cad.

I have a 18V battery set of about 7 Ryobi tools. Originally they came with three or four 18V NiCad batteries. When these batteries no longer held their charge I replaced them with 3 Li Ion batteries. The difference in machine power and durability was fantastic. Ryobi are at the budget end of battery tools and IMHO their batteries do not last as long as "quality" ones. I think a lot of equivalent machines price difference is in the battery quality.

Other tools are a De Walt 18V Li Ion hammer drill, a top of the range (IIRC about £370) Makita 18V Li Ion hammmer drill -not worth the extra money over cheaper Makita drills IMHO, and a 28V Milwaulkee right angle drill which with a winch bit gets my heavy mainsail up on my 43' boat a treat!!

I often supervise work on fit out contracts and always ask the tradesmen about their tool choice. The majority go for Makita & De Walt.

For 220V mains tools i buy the cheapest!!

The reason for so many tools is living in one house while renovating another. Tool is never in the right place!!

 

[Blueboatman]

Posher is often quieter and smoother, though it pays to look at the design itself. All manufacturers have a duff one in their repertoire, some more..

NIcad deals are around as they are phased out but plan to make up a 12v lead for em